Alexander Korda

As one of the preeminent filmmakers from England, director and producer Alexander Korda - who emigrated to the Isles from Hungary - was instrumental in putting British cinema on the international map. With his production company, London Films, Korda found success after a decade of making movies in Vienna, Berlin and Hollywood with "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1932), which launched the career of Charles Laughton as well as his own. From there, he produced successes like "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934) and "The Ghost Goes West" (1935), before directing Laughton in "Rembrandt" (1936), one of the most acclaimed biopics of all time. With war looming in Europe, Korda did his part in boosting the cinematic image of the British Empire with "Knight Without Armour" (1937), "Drums" (1938) and "The Four Feathers" (1939). He oversaw "The Thief in Bagdad" (1940), one of the all-time great children's classics, while back in Hollywood, he also produced Carole Lombard's final film, the comedy classic, "To Be or Not to Be" (1942). Returning to England, he bought a stake in British Lion Films and produced the Cold War classic, "The Third Man" (1949), and the excellent Shakespeare adaptation, "Richard III" (1955). Over several prolific decades, Korda earned his place in cinema history for playing a significant part in capturing a heroic image of the British Empire on celluloid.